Saltwater Songs
by shinigami714
Summary: For as long as Fíli had known, the high seas had called to him...


Pairing: **Fili/Kili**

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 **Saltwater Songs**

For as long as Fíli had known, the high seas had called to him. His mother once said he was born in the water, that swimming came naturally to him, as though he was a dolphin in a past life. He spent every waking moment within or by the waves as a child, listening, watching. It came as no surprise that he eventually set sail on the Oaken Warrior, dedicating his life to his uncle's voyages across the seas.

Thorin Oakenshield was a serious man, but a devoted captain. He led his crew through thick and thin, ensuring their livelihoods and keeping their spirits high. They pillaged towns, sought abandoned islands, and explored undiscovered territory across the earth on the never-ending quest for lost treasure. Sometimes they were met by little more than ashes and decaying bones at the ends of their journeys, but on a rare occasion, there were piles of gold and jewels beyond belief.

It was a hard life, but a life Fíli loved. The days were spent raising sails, looking out towards the horizon while drinking in the saltwater as it splashed against the hull. The nights were spent in folly, amongst the other men on board, gambling, and drinking to their heart's content. It was on one such evening that Fíli first heard the sounds. A sorrowful melody, haunting even, that beckoned him to look out at the sea. He went on deck and leaned over the ship's guard rail, eyeing the waves beneath the moonlight as he had so often before. But something was different. Something compelled him, for the first time ever, to leave his companions, and wade out into the sea alone. He wanted to jump into the waters, follow the song, wherever it might lead him into the depths of black water. His fingers tightened against the rail, and he narrowed his eyes anxiously.

"Fíli? What's wrong?" One of the men asked of him, searching the darkened surroundings for a trace of something amiss. It was foggy that night, and not a single sign of movement existed apart from the gentle lapping of the waves against the hull.

"Do you hear that?" Fíli whispered, turning his head to the side. He closed his eyes and scrunched up his brow, feeling a terrible strain inside his soul. The other men heard nothing, staring at him with confused eyes. His uncle gazed upon him worriedly, and finally Dwalin approached, leaning heavily against the railing at the blond's side. The Quartermaster was a large man, bald and frightening in appearance, but soft at heart. He settled his arm about Fíli's shoulders and chuckled teasingly, his face reddened from too much drink.

"It's the mermaids, lad," he teased, gesturing out towards the restless deep. The men snickered and gathered close, eager to listen in on yet another one of Dwalin's fanciful stories. The Quartermaster revelled in the attention, gathering the mates in a circle around him, and he told terrifying accounts of men lost at sea, lured into the waiting hands of beautiful creatures just off the coast. He warned of the dangers. Described in great detail what the mer people did to those who wandered away into the waters, carried off by the sound of their angelic voices. Nothing but a slow death by drowning awaited the man that fell into a mermaid's trap, and then the beasts would devour their victims wildly, like piranhas in the deep. Fíli laughed along with the rest of the crew, watching as Dwalin flailed his arms about wildly in grand gestures, his worries temporarily forgotten. Even pirates knew mermaids were only an old fisherman's tale.

But the singing continued, and still Fíli was the only one that heard it. It nagged at him endlessly. Across the open ocean, while moored at trade town harbours, even as the crew scoured unfamiliar islands in the middle of nowhere. It followed him, enraptured him, and coiled about his being like an anaconda. He spent each evening on deck, looking out at the water with weary eyes, longing to see what creature sang such grief-stricken songs. The days were spent much the same, waiting for some sign of the one who so clearly summoned him, for no one else ever heard the lilting melodies soaring across the sea, so it was surely a call meant only for him.

The other men must have thought him mad.

On one afternoon, the sun's rays beamed down upon the Oaken Warrior where it was anchored just off the coast of a mysterious isle. None of Thorin's maps depicted the strange rocky shores or unusually shaped landmarks, and none of the men knew what might be found on land. It made the discovery all the more enticing, and they meant to row ashore later that day in the hopes of finding age old civilizations and riches ripe for the taking. The men relaxed, settling down for a last lunch aboard ship for possibly a very long while, and gathered in the rooms below deck to play cards and tell stories as they so often did. But Fíli stayed above, once again tempted to look out towards the mysterious music so clear within his mind.

His eyes wandered the horizon, and then drifted towards the shoreline, dragging across the heavy rocks that littered the coast. It was then that he staggered, his eyes widening slightly as they focused on something, someone, sitting atop one of the formations. There were just a few subtle movements, enough to catch the glistening droplets of water dripping down a supple body. Fíli swallowed nervously and stepped closer to the boat's edge, his eyes roaming the form laid out before him.

He was beautiful. And it was definitely a he. That much Fili could tell just from gazing upon the sinuously long torso stretched temptingly out upon those rocks. There were no breasts as he expected, only a flat chest that tapered down into a stunningly scaled tail. Pale skin gleamed beneath the sunlight, taunting him, beckoning him to touch it. There were curves in all the right places, edges in even more, and his hair dragged across his body, dark and sensual, like seaweed tangled about his form.

Fíli gaped in awe, startled when the being turned suddenly, its figure twisting just enough that the blond could make out the edge of its face. Dark eyes latched on to him, and shining lips rose into an almost impish grin. The music changed, shifting into a more pleasing and uplifting tune. It was hopeful, happy even, and Fíli felt his chest tighten as the song enchanted him even further.

He was moving suddenly, climbing over the edge of the ship and sliding down its side, holding fast to a rope. When Fíli hit the water it did not faze him, and he swam against the waves until it became shallow enough for him to wade through the water. Voices called out after him, screaming for him to return, but Fíli ignored them, walking determinedly towards his destination. His uncle now aloft, begged him to stop, to turn around and forget whatever sorcery was cast upon him, but still the blond continued on. Fíli remembered the fisherman's tales, about pirates and townsfolk sent to their deaths at the hands of such mythical monsters.

He did not care.

If he was to die, it would be a good death, drawn into the raging waters at the hands of such a beautiful creature. And if he was to live, oh what a life it would be, spent at the side of such an entity, carried away by the sea.

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 **AN:** Thanks so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed this quick little tale. I also did an illustration for this story which you can find on my A03 or tumblr!


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